Southwest Georgian Sentenced to Prison for Illegally Possessing a Gun

ALBANY, Ga. – A Colquitt County, Georgia, resident with a lengthy criminal history in the community and associated with the Ghostface Gangsters was sentenced to prison for illegally possessing a firearm when he was taken into custody while wanted on an outstanding warrant.

Marion C. Wells, 48, of Norman Park, Georgia, was sentenced to serve 85 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release by U.S. District Judge W Louis Sands on Dec.14. Wells previously pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon on Sept. 19. The defendant is not eligible for parole.

“Repeat felony offenders who continually disregard the law and are caught with guns will face federal prosecution,” said U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary. “This case was brought to our attention by the Colquitt County Sheriff’s Office and their local Project Safe Neighborhoods Task Force, a collaboration of law enforcement and community members working to find effective, evidence-based solutions to reduce crime.”

“Marion Wells has left a long trail of pain and destruction throughout his time in Georgia,” said Supervisory Senior Resident Agent Rich Bilson of FBI Atlanta’s Albany office. “This case shows when we work together and share information, good results occur. Every resource and every force multiplier we possess, will be used to accomplish that goal.”

“Marion Wells is a repeat offender and well-known methamphetamine distributor in our community going back at least twenty years; he is also a documented member of the criminal Ghostface Gangsters,” said FBI Task Force Officer (TFO) and Captain of Field Operations for the Moultrie Police Department Steve Exum. “Colquitt County is safer with Wells off the streets; we are thankful for our strong partnership with federal and state law enforcement working with us to make our community safer.”

According to court documents, Wells was wanted on an outstanding warrant for a parole violation Feb. 4, 2021, when Colquitt County deputies received a tip about his whereabouts and that he was in possession of a rifle. That day, deputies observed Wells driving in Moultrie, Georgia, and conducted a traffic stop. In plain view in the back seat was a rifle with a night scope loaded with 21 rounds of ammunition. There was also 20 grams of methamphetamine under the driver’s side back seat, along with a box of plastic Ziploc bags, two glass smoking devices and lighter, sixteen 9mm rounds and $3,390 cash. Wells has a lengthy criminal history in Colquitt County and the Southwest Georgia region spanning nearly three decades, including multiple felony drug charges, criminal attempt to commit a felony, eluding police officers and battery-family violence.

This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

The case was investigated by the FBI Gang Task Force and the Moultrie-Colquitt County Drug Enforcement Team.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Monica L. Daniels prosecuted the case for the Government.